Utah Utes football: Smith relishes spotlight

Utah cornerback Sean Smith enjoys being in the spotlight. The personable 21-year-old junior from Pasadena, Calif., appreciates the attention.

After picking off two passes in last week's 40-7 win at Wyoming, Smith got plenty. He was surrounded by reporters after the game. The media wanted to know all about his 25-yard interception return for a touchdown. They also asked about his spectacular one-handed grab in the end zone.

"It feels good. I've been craving for it all year," Smith said.

"It feels good to finally go out there and make some plays, put myself in that position."

ESPN liked it.

So much so, in fact, that the network included Smith's heroics in its top 10 plays Saturday night.

One interested party missed it, however. He happened to be in the restroom when the segment aired.

Smith didn't learn of his national attention until text messages flooded his cell phone shortly thereafter.

"That's what he gets," joked cornerbacks coach Aaron Alford.

"Hold your water, as we say, hold your water."

Brice McCain, who is Utah's other starting corner, wishes his former roommate had seen the highlight. He was one of the first to ask Smith about it after it aired.

Defensive coordinator Gary Andersen, who also knows Smith quite well, isn't as concerned about it. There are replays, after all.

"Oh, I doubt he's missed it," he said with a laugh. "I'm sure somewhere Sean Smith has actually seen that."

The second two-interception game of Smith's career vaulted him into a tie for the Mountain West Conference lead in interceptions. He has three this season, along with 76 interception return yards.

"It feels nice. The rumor is defensive players can't catch and that DBs are bad receivers," Smith said. "So I had to set it straight. I am not in that statistic. I can catch."

The more picks he gets, Smith added, the hungrier he is for more.

The former running back and receiver now has seven career interceptions and 11 pass breakups. Much of Smith's success has to do with his athletic 6-foot-3, 215-pound frame.

"The thing that helps him most is he's just so long. He might be one of the tallest corners in the NCAA right now," Alford said. "He's got great feet. He has good body control. He does a good job of reaching out. He has such a long arm, he can get his hands on a receiver right away and he has an ability to control them from there. So he does a good job of trying to work his technique."

McCain noted that Smith has been a cornerback for three years now and has a solid grasp of the position.

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham agrees.

"He's completely made that transition," Whittingham said. "He's completely comfortable as a corner."

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